Fulling and felting of textile goods



Sept. 6, 1960 K. GOBEL FULLING AND FELTING OF TEXTILE GOODS Filed Dec. 14, 1955 FULLING AND FELTING F TEXTILE GOODS Kratft Giibel, Am Hofacker 7, Alsfeld, Hessen, Germany Filed Dec. 14, 1955, Ser. No. 553,155 Claims priority, application Great Britain Dec. 15, 1954 6 Claims. (Cl. 28-

In the fulling and felting of textile materials, which are conveyed between the lines of rollers in a rotary fulling mill or between the swinging fallers of fulling stocks, the textile goods have to be conveyed through the machines several times in order to obtain the required thickening and felting of the fibres. A continuous operation cannot be used with this known method because too many individual fulling mills would have to be connected in series, as a result of which the plant would become uneconomical and too extensive.

In contrast with this, according to the present invention there is provided a method of fulling and felting textile goods in which the textile goods are conveyed in pilgrim-step motion (progressive reciprocating motion) between the sets of rollers in rotary fulling mills or between the rows of fallers in fulling stocks. That is, the textile goods are reciprocated in such a manner that a rate of progress is obtained corresponding to the difierence between a forward stroke and a backward stroke. When rotary fulling mills are used, the fulling effect can be further increased by imparting axial shaking vibrations to one or both sets of rollers.

A rotary fulling mill for carrying out the method according to the invention is characterised in that adjustable clutches are provided between the fulling-mill driving mechanism, which imparts to the rollers an oscillatory rotary movement and the individual rollers, which clutches are temporarily disengageable from a control for shortening the forwards or backwards movement.

A slipping clutch and afreewheel ratchet mechanism, which are provided with lever arms and are swung backwards and forwards by a crank drive via separate connecting rods, are preferably mounted on each roller journal. The lever arms, which engage the connecting rods, are made adjustable in length so that, for different leverarm relationships, they efiect dilferent strokes during the forward and the backward movements.

The drive for the rotary fulling machine preferably engagesonly the lever arms of one roller, while all the following rollers receive their drive motion from the lever arms of the first driven roller via their respective lever arms by means of an articulated tie-rod.

An embodiment of the invention is hereinafter described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure l is a side elevation of a rotary fulling machine according to the invention,

Figure 2 is a vertical section along the line III'I in Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a horizontal section through the fulling mill shown in Figure 1,

Figure 4 is an axial section through the freewheel ratchet mechanism and slipping clutch of the machine on an enlarged scale, and

Figure 5 is a section along the line VV in Figure 4.

The rotary fulling mill consists of a machine frame in which are mounted the main driving shaft 11 as well as an upper line of rollers 12 comprising four individual rates Fatent 19 is articulated to rollers and a lower line of rollers individual rollers. staggered and form a roller being fulled are conveyed.

The main driving shaft 11 is driven in known manner by means of an electric motor either directly or via a belt, gearwheel, or chain-and-sprocket drive. A flywheel mass 45 serves to steady the rotary movement. At each end of the driving shaft 11, outside the machine frame 10, is mounted a crank disc 14 and 15, driving the upper and lower line of rollers 12 and 13 respectively, via their crank pins 16 and 17. The crank pins 16 and 17 are displaced by in relation to one another so that when the upper and lower rollers are driven jointly, the two lines of rollers are rotated in opposite directions so that the facing surfaces of the rollers move in the same direction.

The individual rollers of the lower line of rollers 13 carry a freewheel ratchet mechanism 19 and a slipping clutch 20 on their roller journals 18. The freewheel ratchet mechanism 19 21 and a broad, saw-toothed ratchet wheel 22 keyed onto the roller journal. Spring-mounted locking rollers 23 are fitted between the ratchet teeth. The housing 21 of the freewheel ratchet mechanism is provided with a lever-arm 24. If the lever arm 24 is swung against the direction of the arrow, as shown in Figure 5, the locking rollers 23 become locked between the housing 21 and the ratchet wheel 22 so that the journal 18 of the roller is carried round in the same direction. In the opposite direction of rotation, i.e. in the direction of the arrow, on the other hand, the locking rollers 23 are moved away from the sloping flanks of the saw-toothed ratchet wheel 22, against the action of the spring 25, so that the drive to the journal 18 is interrupted and the rollers 13 are not driven.

On the same end of the journal 18 there is also mounted a friction or sliding clutch 20, the cylindrical housing 26 of which is driven by a lever arm 27. The housing 26 of the slipping clutch is lined 'With a friction surface 28. A brake shoe 29, which can be tightened by means of two adjustable spring bolts 30, effects a limited driving connection between the lever arm 27 and the roller journal 18.

The lever arm 24 a connecting rod 31 pivoted on the crank pin 17. In the same manner, the lever arm 27 is articulated to the same crank pin 17 via a connecting rod 32. The lever arm 27 has a slideway 33 in which the link pin 34, which connects the lever arm 27 to the connecting rod 32, is adjustably mounted. The connecting rods 31 and 32 are of substantially the same length and the slideway 33 in the lever arm 27 is so constructed that the either smaller or greater than that of the lever arm 24.

In the same manner as described for the first roller in the lower line of rollers, the free ends of each of the: journals of the succeeding rollers are provided with a. freewheel ratchet mechanism and a friction clutch. The lever arms 27' of all the friction clutches are articulated by means of a continuous tie-rod 35, which in turn is. pivoted to the lever arm 27 of the first roller by means of a hinge-pin 36. The individual lever arms of the friction clutches on the individual rollers may be of substantially the same length; preferably, however, the lengths of the arms are selected so that they become progressively smaller towards the delivery end of 'the fulling mill, for reasons which will be explained below.

The individual lever arms 24 of the freewheel ratchet mechanism are articulated in the same manner as the lever arms 27 of the friction clutches and are connected to the lever arm 24 by means of a continuous tie-rod 37. Here 13 comprising five The lines of rollers 12 and 13 are gap through which the goods consists of a cylindrical housing of the freewheel ratchet mechanism A effective length of the lever arm 27 can be made;

Theiupperli'ne of rollers 12 is constructed in exactly the same manner as the lower line of rollers 13except that for structural reasons it has been found. advisable to mount the associated lever arms 38"and 39 of'the freewheel ratchet mechanism 40 and of the friction clutches 41 and the tie-rods 46, 47cm the opposite side of the machine, where they are driven by the connecting rods 42 and 43 via the crank pins 16 (Figure 3).

In order to vary the roller gap/the upper line of rollers 12is made adjustable in height by meansof a sliding bearing arrangement 44. If necessary, however, it is possible to omit the drive for the upper rollers so that these merely act'as follower rollers and follow the driven movements of the lower line of rollers.

The rotary fulling mill operates as follows:

The driving shaft 11 and its crank discs 14 and 15 rotate constantly. As a result the rollers 12 and 13 receive an oscillatory rotary movement by means of the connecting rods'42, 43, 31, 32 and the lever arms 24, 27, '38 and 39; The two opposite end positions of the lever arms 24, Z'iand the connecting rods '31 and 32 are shown respectively in full and broken lines in Figure 1.

During the forwards movement, the rollers 13 must'be driven because of thefreewheel ratchet mechanism 19, the lever arm 24 of which is then moving in the opposite direction to that indicated by the arrow in Figure 5. During'the subsequent backwards movement of the lever arm 24 (in the direction of the arrow in Figure no power is transmitted. If the lever arm 27 of the friction clutch 201's adjusted so that the length of its lever corresponds to that of the lever arm 24, the friction clutch effects an equally great backwards movement of the rollers. With this setting there is no slip between the roller journal 18 and the friction clutch 20. On the other hand, if the lever arm 27 is made longer than the lever arm 24 then the lever arm 27 covers a shorter angular distance than the lever arm 24, and during the forwards movement caused by the freewheel ratchet mechanism 19, a slip of the friction clutch 29 will occur corresponding to the difference in movement, and during the backwards stroke, during which no drive takes place via the freewheel ratchet mechanism 19, the friction clutch will move the rollers back through an angular distance which is less than the angular distance of the forwards movement. Thus a resulting progression of the goods being fulled in the roller gap can be established corresponding to the difference between the forwards and the backwards motion.

On the other hand, if the effective length ofthe lever arm 27 is made less than that of the lever arm 24, then a progression in the opposite direction results, because the backwards stroke of the rollers is greater than the corresponding forwards stroke.

Thus by shifting the hinge-pin 34 in the slideway 33, the rate of progress can be varied at will and progression in either direction can be obtained, as desired.

Since, as is known, the goods being treated constantly shrink during the fulling process, the lever arms 24, 24 of the freewheel ratchet mechanism 19 are made progressively larger for each successive individual roller in a line of rollers. As a result, the angular distance travelled by the rollers for the forwards stroke (assuming that the goods are passing through the machine in the direction of the arrow X in Figure 1), becomes steadily smaller from the entrance to the exit of the machine, corresponding to the shrinking cloth. The same provision for the'backwards stroke means that the lever arms 27 and 27 of the friction clutches 20, which cause the backwards motion,

must be made progressively larger in the direction of feed, in this case from the exit to the entrance of the machine.

Oneadvantage of the invention is that the" goods being the fulling process can be carried out for any desired. length of time in opposite directions as required without stopping the machine.

I claim:

1. A fulling mill comprising, in combination, a support; a plurality of rolls arranged in two substantially parallel rows and mounted, respectively, for turning movement about their axes on shafts turnably mounted on said support; and drive means for turning said rolls in at least one of said rows alternately and in rapid succession first in one direction through a given angle and then in the opposite direction through an angle smaller than said given angle so that when textile material is placed between the nips of said opposite rows of rolls said textile material will be rapidly shifted back and forth between the nips of said rolls while being slowly fed in said one direction, said drive means including a free wheel ratchet mechanism mounted on each of said shafts of said rolls in at least one of said rows for turning said shaft only in one direction and a friction clutch coaxially mounted on each of said shafts in said one row for driving the shaft in both directions and permitting slippage of said shaft relative to said friction clutch.

2. A fulling mill comprising, in combination, a support; a plurality of rolls arranged in two substantially parallel rows and mounted, respectively, for turning movement about their axes on shafts turnably mounted on said support; and drive means for turning said rolls in at least one of said rows alternately and in rapid succession first in one direction through a given angle and then in the opposite direction through an angle smaller than said given angle so that when textile material is placed between the nips of said opposite rows of rolls said textile material will be rapidly shifted back and forth between the nips of said rolls while being slowly fed in said one direction, said drive means including a free wheel ratchet mechanism mounted on each of said shafts of said rolls in at least one of said rows for turning said shaft only in one direction and a friction clutch coaxilally mounted on each of said shafts in said one row for driving the shaft in both directions and permitting slippage of said shaft relative to said friction clutch, and lever means fixedly connected respectively to said free wheel ratchet mechanism and to said friction clutch for oscillating said ratchet mechanism and friction clutch alternately in said one and in said opposite direction.

3. -A fulling mill comprising, in combination, a support; a plurality of rolls arranged in two substantially parallel rows and mounted, respectively, for turning movement about their mes on shtfts turnably mounted on said support; and drive means for turning said rolls in at least one of said rows alternately and in rapid succession first in one direction through a given angle and then in the opposite direction through an angle smaller than said given angle so that when textile material is placed between the nips of said opposite rows of rolls said textile material will be rapidly shifted back and forth between the nips of said rolls while being slowly fed in said one direction, said drive means including a free wheel ratchet mechanism mounted on each of said shafts of said rolls in at least one of said rows for turning said shaft only in one direction and a friction clutch coaxially mounted on each of said shafts insaid one row for driving the shaft in both directions and permitting slippage of said shaft relative to said friction clutch, a pair of lever armsfixedly connected respectively to said free wheel ratchet mechanism and to said friction clutch for oscillating said ratchet mechanism and friction clutch alternately in said one and in said opposite direction, and means for adjusting the efiective length of the lever arm connected to said function clutch.

4. A fulling mill comprising, in combination, a support; a plurality of rolls arranged in two substantially parallel rows and respectively mounted on shafts turnably mounted for turning movement about their axes on said support; a free wheel ratchet mechanism mounted on each of said shafts of said rolls in at least one of said rows; a friction clutch coaxially mounted with said free wheel ratchet mechanism on each of said shafts in said one row permitting slippage of said shaft relative to said friction clutch; a first lever fixedly connected to each of said free wheel ratchet mechanisms; a second lever fixedly connected to each of said friction clutches and said second lever having an effective length different from said first lever; crank means turn-ably mounted on said support; a pair of connecting rods respectively connected at one of their free ends to said crank means and at the other of the ends to the first and to the second lever, respectively, connected to the free Wheel ratchet mechanism and to the friction clutch mounted on the shaft of the first roll located at one end of said row of rolls; a pair of tie rods connecting respectively the first lever of said first roll with said first levers of the other of said rolls in said row and the second lever of said first roll with the second levers of the other of said rolls in said row; and drive means for continuously turning said crank means, whereby upon rotation of said crank means said rolls in said one row are turned alternately and in rapid succession through a given angle in one direction and then in opposite direction through an angle differing from said given angle.

5. A fulling mill comprising, in combination, a support; a plurality of rolls arranged in two substantially parallel rows and respectively mounted on shafts turnably mounted for turning movement about their axes on said support; a free wheel ratchet mechanism mounted on each of said shafts of said rolls in at least one of said rows; a friction clutch coaxially mounted with said free wheel ratchet mechanism on each of said shafts in said one row permitting slippage of said shaft relative to said friction clutch; a first lever fixedly connected to each of said free wheel ratchet mechanisms; a second lever fixedly connected to each of said friction clutches and said second lever having an effective length difierent from said first lever; crank means turnably mounted on said support; a pair of connecting rods respectively connected at one of their free ends to said crank means and at the other of the ends to the first and to the second lever, respectively, connected to the free wheel ratchet mechanism and to the friction clutch mounted on the shaft of the first roll located at one end of said row of rolls, at least one of said levers associated with said first roll being formed with an elongated slot; a hinge pin slidably mounted in said elongated slot and connecting the free end of one of said connecting rods to said one lever; a pair of tie rods connecting respectively the first lever of said first roll with said first levers of the other of said rolls in said row and the second lever of said first roll with the second levers of the other of said rolls in said row; and drive means for continuously turning said crank means, whereby upon rotation of said crank means said rolls in said one row are turned alternately and in rapid succession through a given angle in one direction and then in opposite direction through an angle differing from said given angle.

6. A fulling mill comprising, in combination, a support; a plurality of rolls arranged in two substantially parallel rows and respectively mounted on shafts turnably mounted for turning movement about their axes on said support; a free wheel ratchet mechanism mounted on each of said shafts of said rolls in at least one of said rows; a friction clutch coaxially mounted with said free wheel ratchet mechanism on each of said shafts in said one row permitting slippage of said shaft relative to said friction clutch; a first lever fixedly connected to each of said free wheel ratchet mechanisms; a second lever fixedly connected to each of said friction clutches and said second lever having an effective length different from said first lever; crank means turnably mounted on said support; a pair of connecting rods respectively connected at one of their free ends to said crank means and at the other of the ends to the first and to the second lever respectively connected to the free wheel ratchet mechanism and to the friction clutch mounted on the shaft of the first roll located at one end of said row of rolls; a pair of tie rods connecting respectively the first lever of said first roll with said first levers of the other of said rolls in said row and the second lever of said first roll with the second levers of the other of said rolls in said row, said tie rod connecting the first lever of said first roll with said first levers of the other of said rolls being connected to said first levers of the other of said rolls at distances from the axes of the respective rolls increasing from said first roll to the last roll in said row and the tie rod connecting the second lever of said first roll with the second levers of the other of said rolls in said row being connected to said second levers of said other of said rolls at distances from the axes of the respective rolls decreasing from said first roll to the last roll in said row; and drive means for continuously turning said crank means, whereby upon rotation of said crank means said rolls in said one row are turned alternately and in rapid succession through a given angle in one direction and then in opposite direction through an angle differing from said given angle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,325,545 Redman July 27, 1943 2,441,390 Boeddinghaus May 11, 1948 2,442,742 Morrill June 1, 1948 2,496,873 Hoffman Feb. 7, 1950 2,590,142 Young Mar. 25, 1952 2,683,299 Casse July 13, 1954 2,742,773 Chambers et a1. Apr. 24, 1956 

